Pursuant to the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act, every person has the right to inspect the public records of the City of Albuquerque.

The Act also makes compliance with requests to inspect public records an integral part of the routine duties of the officers and employees of the City of Albuquerque as it is the responsibility of the City to make public records available for inspection.

Notice of Right to Inspect Public Records

A person desiring to inspect public records may submit a request to the records custodian orally or in writing. However, the procedures and penalties prescribed by the Act apply only to written requests. A written request must contain the name, address and telephone number of the person making the request. The request must describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable the records custodian to identify and locate the requested records.

The records custodian must permit inspection immediately or as soon as practicable, but no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian receives the inspection request. If inspection is not permitted within three (3) business days, the person making the request will receive a written response explaining when the records will be available for inspection or when the public body will respond to the request. If any of the records sought are not available for public inspection, the person making the request is entitled to a written response from the records custodian explaining the reasons inspection has been denied. The written denial shall be delivered or mailed within fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian received the request for inspection.

If a person requesting inspection would like a copy of a public record, a reasonable fee may be charged. The City may charge up to $.50 per page per Administrative Instruction 1-7. The records custodian may request that applicable fees for copying public records be paid in advance, before the copies are made. A receipt indicating that the fees have been paid for making copies of public records will be provided upon request to the person requesting the copies.

Electronic Records

The City of Albuquerque will make records available electronically if the record is available in an electronic format and the requesting party asks for the record in electronic format. The City will provide the record(s) in the electronic format in which the record exists at the time of the request. If the records are saved to a cd or dvd, the cost of the materials is $6.75 per disk.